A drone light show recently went wrong at the Hainan International Tourism Carnival in China, sending dozens of drones spiraling down into a crowd of spectators.

What was meant to be a spectacular and mesmerizing performance—with a night sky lit by synchronized drones—turned into a horror show when the drones hit a glitch and took a turn for the worst.

The performance started off well enough as a large crowd in Haikou, South China, enjoyed the show, with approximately 300 drones rising and performing a precise routine involving forming patterns, shapes, and colors.

According to WeTalkUAV, videos shot by spectators in the crowd show that the “drones suddenly malfunctioned and were flying in many different directions (which is not ideal when they are supposed to be in synch). A man shooting a video of the performance from his phone filmed as a drone landed just feet away from him and people in the crowd can be heard screaming.”

The 300 drones, produced by Chinese manufacturer High Great, were said to have malfunctioned due to “magnetic interference,” according to representatives of the company. The reason for this is not yet known.

Luckily, no one was injured at the carnival show. “Backup drones were quickly fetched and the second iteration of the light show went off without a hitch just two hours later,” according to WeTalkUAV.

Also according to WeTalkUAV, “Light show drones are generally small, lightweight, and have prop guards. Therefore, the chance of actually being injured by one is fairly small.” However, no matter how small and lightweight, one could be injured by being directly struck.

Past light shows have appeared to be generally safe, and so well-received that some have speculated whether they might replace fireworks at some point in the relatively near future.

What do you think? Would you rather watch a light show of drones, performing, and creating impressive shapes and patterns? Or would you stick to fireworks if you had the choice?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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